Beauty and the Beast: Stephaim Style
by SmilesSaveLives
Summary: Your savior may not come, Heated ice may not melt, His heart may never learn, And love may turn to hate, It is her choice to make... Who could ever learn to love a beast? Basically, it's a Stephaim version of Beauty and the Beast, but it's not a crossover because I'll be changing and adding to the plot a lot. R&R pretty please!
1. Prologue

**A/N**

**Hey guys! I'm back, just with a new fanfic. Should I really be starting another story? No, probably not. Am I going to anyway? Yeah…**

**Oh well. Enjoy and R&R!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the general plot, the characters, Beauty and the Beast, or HON!**

**~Smiley**

* * *

Prologue

Long ago, in a castle, far, far away, there lived a handsome and beloved king and his beautiful, sweet, and loving queen. The king and the queen lived happily with their sons, Rephaim, Nisroc, and Asija. Their kingdom flourished and all was well.

However, the beloved queen fell ill, and she died soon afterward. The king fell into despair and rage, and he struck out and abused his sons, especially his favored and oldest son, Rephaim. He expected Rephaim to be perfect and selfish and heartless, just like the once-loving king was now. The prince always strived to please his father, but whenever he fell short of those high expectations, he was punished severely.

Eventually, the prince was broken. His once headstrong, loving, gentle nature was replaced with that of a cold, heartless beast, or so he told himself. Rephaim, although he accepted the fact that he must become what his father expected him to be, could never bring himself to hurt anyone, especially not his brothers or his friends, who just so happened to also be his servants. However, this peaceful attitude towards those around him soon changed once his father expected him to be short-tempered and cruel. And although Rephaim tried to remain unchanged when his father wasn't around (even though he was around almost all of the time), he had been forced to form new habits, which then became old habits, and, as we all know, old habits die hard.

Was it really a surprise that when an old beggar woman came to the castle of the dying kingdom, offering a magically wondrous rose for a place to stay for a night, Rephaim turned her away? His father, although he was ill, had been standing behind the door, with him because he was drilling evil habits into his son's head with his dying breaths. Although it pained what was not yet frozen of Rephaim's heart, he knew that you cannot deny a man his dying wishes, especially when that man was his father.

The rest of Rephaim's heart had frozen and shattered into a million pieces. It could never be put back together.

Kalona died; his mission was complete.

Then the hideous woman transformed into a beautiful goddess, and, because she saw no love in his heart (or rather, no heart at all), she cursed him—condemned him to be a beast forever, unless he could find love in his heart and give it away, and find someone to give him their love in return.

Rephaim didn't try to beg or plead for her not to do this to him. He didn't bother because he knew in all the pieces of his broken heart that he deserved it. However, he did beg and plead for her not to punish the rest of the castle and those who lived there. They didn't deserve it.

The goddess casted the powerful spell anyway, and Rephaim fell into despair. But the goddess did have love in her heart, and promised that if he found love before he turned twenty-one, the spell would be broken, and the kingdom would flourish forever.

As the spell settled over all the castle's inhabitants, they all heard a beautiful voice they all knew and missed so much whisper a prayer, a promise, a prophecy:

_Your savior may not save_

_Heated ice may not melt_

_His heart may never learn_

_And love may turn to hate_

_It is her choice to make._

Rephaim didn't hear this. Instead, he heard the same voice whisper a blessing:

_When you find your heart_

_And pick up all the pieces_

_You have found yourself..._

_My son…_

Then the goddess left, and the weight of the spell hit him with such force that it drove the prince to his knees and, eventually, to unconciousness.

The rose truly was enchanted, and it would bloom until the day he turned twenty-one. However, as the days turned to weeks, and the weeks turned to years, and the years turned into tears of despair, Rephaim locked himself in the castle, for he had lost all hope. His only window to the outside world was a magic mirror, which had been his mother's wedding gift from the goddess.

Along with its prince, the castle and kingdom were lost to the outside world, and thus the people who lived there despaired as well.

They knew all too well that their savior would not come. Even if a girl did find the lost castle, no one could ever learn to love a monster.

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**A/N**

**R&R please!**

**~Smiley**


	2. Chapter 1

**A/N**

**Thanks to those who reviewed! Specifically…**

**-IloveZimandNny16: Lol. Yeah, that does tend to happen a lot.**

**-heather: Thanks!**

**-inquiete: Thank you!**

**Your reviews mean a lot, and I hope you like this chapter too! Here, we get to meet Stevie Rae, her brothers, Dallas (Dun, dun, DUN!), and some other, less important people. (Sorry, Ant, but you're just a supporting character). Read, enjoy, and review!**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own HON or **_**Beauty and the Beast**_** or anything remotely related to either of them!**

**~Smiley**

* * *

Chapter 1

"Have you seen the new girl?"

"Who hasn't?"

"She sticks out like a sore thumb."

"Did you know she can read?"

"Eew. That's just not right."

"I know. I mean, who wants to touch one of those things?"

"Not me."

"Nu-uh, not ever."

"Oh my god, have you seen what she wears?"

"Seriously, do her brothers really let her walk around wearing their pants?"

"I knew they were crazy."

"They must have lost it when their parents died."

"Oh, look! Here she comes!"

"I think she's daydreaming again. Check out that far-off look in her eyes."

"She must of just finished another one of those…books."

"Is she humming?"

"I swear, something's wrong with her."

_I can hear you_, Stevie Rae thought. Once she had made it passed Dumb Blondes One, Two, and Three, she allowed herself to sigh. Then, on second thought, she rolled her eyes at them. She wasn't the one who was messed up in the head.

After her parents had died, she and her three older brothers had moved from their hometown to the small, boring village known as Tulsa, where girls always wore dresses and guys carried their guns everywhere.

Actually, it seemed this place was stuck on repeat. Every single damn day, every single damn person did the exact same damn thing. The girls gossiped, the guys acted like guys, the shop-owners sold the same old things, the people bought the same old things, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera.

_I'll get out of here eventually_, Stevie Rae promised herself as she passed through the heart of the market.

"Good morning!"

"Hello!"

"Beautiful day isn't it?"

Stevie Rae nodded in acknowledgment at everyone as she walked by. She wasn't really sure why she was always the center of attention; at first, she just thought everyone was trying to make the new girl feel welcome. However, as time went on and she was still not left alone, she assumed the people here were just really friendly. She wouldn't mind that at all…if she didn't know what they were saying behind her back, and sometimes right to her face.

As usual, the same people were in the marketplace, right on schedule. The baker, the fruit stand guy, the guy with the wheelbarrow, the guy with the horses, and all their usual customers. Stevie Rae was caught between sighing and screaming, but she knew both were just a waste of breath and time.

"Good morning, Stevie Rae!" The baker greeted.

"Good mornin', sir!" Stevie Rae said, kind of happy someone used her real name.

"Where are you going on this fine day?" he asked.

"The library. I hafta return the book I borrowed," Stevie Rae answered. "Oh, it was such a wonderful story! There was a hidden castle where—"

"That's great. C'mon! Get those rolls out of the oven before they burn!"

_So much for a conversation_, she thought as she turned and walked away, shrugging.

"Look at the poor girl," an old woman said. "She's a strange one."

"No question," her friend agreed. "She's always daydreaming and distracted."

_I can hear you_, Stevie Rae thought as she pushed a stubborn curl out of her eyes.

"She sticks out in any crowd," she continued, "and her head is just way up in the clouds."

_Just ignore them_, she told herself, walking on.

A woman spoke to her husband in a not-so-hushed voice. "Why she is always humming or singing, I shall never know."

"Perhaps there is really something wrong with the girl," the husband inquired.

"Who?" their young son asked. "What's wrong with who?"

"Her nose is just always stuck in those books," the woman sneered. "It's just not right."

"You mean Stevie Rae?" the little boy asked. "She talks funny."

"Unfortunately, her accent is the most normal thing about her," his father said.

"It's a shame to waste such beauty on such a strange girl," the woman said. "Stay away from her," she told her son.

"Yes, Mama," the boy said obediently.

_Just pretend they're not there_, Stevie Rae instructed herself. _You're almost to the library_.

She ignored the pointless small talk drifting around her and hurried to her safe haven.

The bell chimed as she opened the door, and the man behind the desk said, "Hello, my girl."

Stevie Rae smiled. The old librarian was like a grandfather to her. "Good morning! I came to return the book I borrowed," she said, handing it to him.

"Are you really finished already?" he asked.

"Oh, I couldn't bring myself to put it down," she answered, scanning the shelves. "Do ya got anythin' new?"

The old man chuckled. "Well maybe would if you took time to breathe after you got a book in your hand. You tore through my last shipment."

"Hey, I can't help it. I'll just borrow…this one," she said, pulling out one of her favorites.

"But you've read it twice!" he exclaimed.

"But it's my favorite! Swordfights, romance, far-off places, villains, mystery, magic spells, adventure, a prince in disguise—"

"If you like it all that much, it's yours," he said as he walked her to the door. She didn't notice the guys peering in the window, trying to catch a glimpse of her.

"But—" she started.

"Go on, now, I insist. You can have your own adventure whenever you like," he said. "Anything for my favorite reader."

"Well, thank ya sir!" she said, giving him a hug and waving good-bye. The guys watching her had straightened up and tried their best to look natural, casual, and cool.

"Happy reading, my girl," he said.

Stevie Rae opened up the book and read as she walked.

"Look at her!" one of the guys said, staring after her.

"She's just so peculiar," said another.

"No one else like her," the third noted, but Stevie Rae didn't hear any of them.

She walked on, ignoring all the looks that ranged from awe to confusion to flat-out hatred. She pretended she couldn't hear the comments and focused on the book.

"She's a puzzle," one man said.

"I'd like to try my hand at figuring that puzzle out," said his friend.

Whether anyone wanted to admit it or not, everyone in the town was attracted to Stevie Rae in different ways. For most of the guys, they were just attracted to her. Girls were jealous of her beauty (whether they would phrase it like that or not), and everyone wanted to know what was on her mind. Even the livestock and the animals seemed to like the girl from the country.

"Well it's no wonder that she's the talk of the town," a woman said to the man she was buying food from. "She's the most beautiful flower to ever bloom."

"But behind those fair curls, I'm afraid she's rather odd, and those eyes are always shaded by a dream cloud," the man said, and the woman nodded in agreement.

_Ignoring you_, Stevie Rae thought at them and returned to her book. Not even the gunshot interrupted her reading. She was tired of listening to them talk about her.

A shorter guy ran in front of her to grab the poor goose that just fell from the sky. He stuffed it in a bag and hurried back to his "friend."

"Wow! You just never miss a shot, Dallas!" the guy called Ant said. "You're the greatest hunter ever!"

"I know, I know," Dallas said arrogantly.

"No, really. No beast alive stands a chance against you, and no girl either."

"It's true, Ant, and I've got my sights set on that one," Dallas said.

"The new girl?" Ant asked.

"That's the one, the lucky girl I'm going to marry," Dallas said.

"But—" Ant started.

"She's the most beautiful girl in town," Dallas continued, ignoring him.

"I know, but—" Ant tried.

"That makes her the best, so doesn't she deserve the best?"

"Of course, but—"

"And who is the best?" Dallas questioned threateningly.

"You, of course, but—"

"I knew from the moment I saw her that she was the gorgeous woman of my dreams, so I fully plan to marry Stevie Rae," Dallas finished, but Stevie Rae had moved on, meaning Dallas had lost her to the crowd.

He stormed after her, paying no mind to Dumb Blondes One, Two, and Three.

"Look!"

"There he goes!"

"Isn't he dreamy!"

"Oh, he's so cute!"

"Is it hot in here or is it just him."

They all swooned, and Ant tried to follow Dallas.

Meanwhile, Dallas was having trouble fighting through the crowd, in which every single person was looking at her.

"Look at her!" one said.

"She's so strange!" another exclaimed.

"But she's special."

"No doubt about that."

"It's such a shame she just doesn't fit in."

"She's a beauty."

"But a funny girl."

"No doubt about that."

Finally, Stevie Rae just couldn't ignore it any longer, so she looked back over her shoulder. Everyone immediately stopped and went back to their normal, everyday lives.

_Finally_, Stevie Rae thought, returning to her book, not even realizing who was coming up behind her.

* * *

**A/N**

**Pretty please review!**

**~Smiley**


	3. Chapter 2

**A/N**

**Thanks to all who reviewed! Specifically…**

**-IloveZimandNny16: Mwhahaha! Lol**

**-inquiete: Thanks! Lol your welcome**

**-Stephaim Fan: Glad you like the picture! Sorry I haven't updated sooner.**

**-ANGRY CHICK: I'm sorry! I meant to update it sooner, but naturally my computer decided to have issues with the internet just when I was getting ready to update it. Just my luck. But please don't hate me! I have another chapter!**

**Enjoy and R&R!**

**Disclaimer: Nope, still don't own any of the characters (except for my OCs, but they haven't come in to play yet) or the plot (even though I warped it a little here) or anything else that I'm forgetting to say here! It all belongs to P.C and Kristen Cast or Disney.**

**~Smiley**

* * *

Chapter 2

"Good mornin', cutie," Dallas said, coming up behind Stevie Rae and snatching the book out of her hands.

"Give me my book back, Dallas," Stevie Rae said impatiently.

"Maybe," he baited, holding the book out to her. Just as she reached out for it, however, he snatched it back, holding it behind him. "Maybe not."

"Dallas," Stevie Rae warned. "Give it back."

"You know, I'm not even sure why you're so into this damn thing anyway," he said, leaning closer to her but keeping the book well away, "when they are so many other more important things to hold your beautiful gaze."

"Like what?" Stevie Rae asked, humoring him. _There's not much in this boring old town_, she thought, but maybe if she kept his attention for long enough, she could grab her book and run like hell.

"Like me," he replied, smiling at her. Stevie Rae just knew the dumb blondes were sighing and swooning in the background. Stevie Rae could have rolled her eyes, and she definitely wanted too. But her mama had raised her better than that.

"Right," she said sarcastically, but he didn't pick up on it.

"Oh hell yeah, cutie," he said. Stevie Rae could just feel the rise of his testosterone levels in the air. "You know, most girls just dream about this."

"About what, Dallas?" she asked.

"About this, cutie!" he exclaimed, throwing his arms wide. Her book was still in his hands, but she was too short to reach it. "No girl in town wouldn't love to be in your shoes."

"And why would that be?" Stevie Rae asked.

"Because this is the day your dreams come true," he answered.

"You don't know anything 'bout my dreams, Dallas," Stevie Rae said. Her only dream right now was to get the hell away from him, and this town.

"Oh, please, cutie. Every girl dreams of this," Dallas replied cockily.

"Dreams of what?" Stevie Rae asked wearily. The book was just about in reach…

"Here," Dallas said, throwing the book over his shoulder. _So close_, Stevie Rae thought as it landed in a mud puddle. He then threw an arm around her shoulders and gestured with the other hand. "Picture this. There's a little house in the middle of the woods. My latest kill's roasting on the fire, and my little wife is massaging my feet after making my favorite dinner. Triplets will be on the way, you know. She'll stay home while I go hunting, doing what must be done around the house. And she'll have never been happier, especially when I come home."

"Dallas, you're positively primeval," Stevie Rae said, her gaze darting back and forth between Dallas and her book.

"Thank you, cutie," Dallas replied, moving to stand in front of her, as if to block her way home. "But do you know who that little wife will be?"

Stevie Rae's eyes widened, but whether it was with fear or anger she did not know. "Let me take a guess…"

Meanwhile, she had been praying, _Please say Dumb Blonde Number—_

"You, cutie!" Dallas exclaimed, interrupting her prayer.

"Why, Dallas," Stevie Rae said, her voice sounding unnaturally high. She took a couple steps back, edging towards her book. "I-I don't know what to say…" she stammered, snatching her book up off the ground and wiping it off with her shirt.

"Just say you'll marry me," Dallas said, stepping towards her.

"I'm really sorry, Dallas, but I—" she thought frantically for an excuse. "I really must get home to help my brothers!" she exclaimed quickly, much louder than she had meant to, and darted around him so she could run home.

Meanwhile, Ant finally caught up to Dallas. "Those crazy Johnsons," he said, laughing. "They need all the help they can get."

"Don't talk about my brothers that way!" she shouted.

Dallas had been laughing too, but he suddenly stopped and said, "Yeah, don't talk about my future brother-in-laws that way!"

Stevie Rae didn't bother to stick around. She didn't care what those people said about her. She didn't care what they said about her family. Or so she told herself. It was hard to hear all the gossip and remain above it.

"But I know better," Stevie Rae said, her hand going to her locket. She allowed herself to open it. She allowed herself to look at the smiling faces of her parents. "Because you told me so," she whispered. It wasn't until Stevie Rae made it to the front gates of her new home that she allowed herself to cry.

Dallas and Ant had started to walk back to The Tavern once Stevie Rae was gone. "So, how the proposal go?" he asked.

"I'll have Stevie Rae for my wife," Dallas said, his tone dangerous. "Make no mistake about that."

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**A/N**

**Pretty please review!**

**~Smiley**


	4. Chapter 3

**A/N**

**Thanks to all who reviewed, specifically…**

**-IloveZimandNny16**

**-houseofnightfan**

**-inquiete**

**-and foxface333ChoclateLabrador**

**You guys are amazing! Enjoy the new chapter!**

**Disclaimer: Nope. Still don't own HON or B+B. All rights to P.C. and Kristen Cast and Disney.**

**~Smiley**

* * *

Chapter 3

Stevie Rae wiped her eyes and closed her locket before heading down into the basement, which had been transformed into a practice room for her brothers' band.

Although the scene before her was quite startling, it was hardly surprising. Chris, the oldest of the brothers, sat on the piano bench, simply letting his brothers work it out themselves. However, he kept watching them so not to miss anything funny, that is, if anything funny were to happen.

Meanwhile, Tommy and Timmy, the identical twins, were at each other's throat. For two people who could not look more similar, they really could not be any more different. Tommy played drums; Timmy played guitar. Tommy was loud and outgoing; Timmy was a little quieter and shy around people he didn't know very well. Tommy wore blue; Timmy wore red. Tommy liked dogs; Timmy preferred cats. The list goes on and on.

The only time the terrible twins ever seemed to be in synch was when they played. Somehow, someway, they were able to put their differences aside to balance out the song. They complemented and completed each other, supporting the melody in ways no one could ever even think possible.

"What are they fightin' 'bout now?" Stevie Rae asked, taking a seat next to Chris. Another thing the twins had in common: extreme obnoxiousness and stupidity to the point where it could quite possibly be contagious.

"Who gets to ride in the front when we go to the talent search," Chris answered.

"Are ya kiddin'?" Stevie Rae asked, dumbfounded. This was a new low, even for her bickering brothers.

"I wish. Meanwhile, I'm the only one workin' on the song that we have to finish to perform for the talent scouts!" He said the last part louder, hoping to draw the attention of the twins, but to no avail.

"I thought you guys finished that song last week," Stevie Rae said.

"Yeah, I thought we did too, but it…something's just…I don't know. I just can't help but feel like something's missing."

"Can I help?"

"Be my guest," Chris said, laying the music sheets on the piano's stand.

"I wanna sit up front!"

"I don't care! I'm older!"

"By an astondin' two minutes! Besides, you got to sit up front last time!"

Chris and Stevie Rae rolled their eyes, glanced at each other, and suppressed a laugh. After silently agreeing the twins were the most ridiculous people they had ever met in all their years combined (Chris's twenty to Stevie Rae's seventeen), Stevie Rae's gazed returned to the music. She had always had an ear for it, and, most would say, a fantastic voice to accompany it. She had grown up listening to her brothers and her mama and her daddy…music just made her who she was. It completed her. Ever since she was little, she had wanted to join their band, but her parents made it quite clear that she wasn't allowed to go off performing all over creation until she was eighteen. They used to perform songs for their family with Stevie Rae, but, for now, most of their music had no lyrics, and if it did, then Chris stepped in to sing them. Even though her parents weren't there anymore, they all agreed, including Stevie Rae, to obey their wishes.

"So, what do you think is missin'?" Chris asked.

Stevie Rae didn't answer him. Instead, she shouted, "Tommy! Timmy! Cut it out for a sec and play this dang song for me!"

They had been screaming at each other non-stop, but at the sound of their little sister's voice, they fell silent and turned around to face her. They had been a little bit too busy to even realize that she had come home.

Simultaneously, they both nodded and went to their respective instruments.

"Did you figure out what we were missin'?" Chris asked again.

Stevie Rae smiled and nodded, taking off her locket. She opened the golden heart up to reveal the smiling faces of their parents.

"Mama," Tommy said.

"And Dad," Timmy added.

"I don't think they're missin' anymore, Chris," Stevie Rae said. "They're still here, right in our hearts." She turned around to see the twins nodding and smiling at her.

Once she placed the open locket gently on the music stand, Stevie Rae nodded to Chris, and he began the melody with his piano. Timmy then entered with his guitar, strumming once every four beats. When Tommy entered on drums, Timmy adjusted his playing so they were complementing each other, working side-by-side, hand-in-hand, linking the music's layers to create an awe-inspiring sound only they seemed to be able to make.

When the piece was finished, the three boys turned to Stevie Rae, who beamed and applauded.

"That was awesome!" Tommy said, throwing his drumsticks in the air.

"Still think there's something missin' now, Chris?" Timmy asked, grinning.

"No," Chris said, smiling at Stevie Rae. "I think we've got it now."

Stevie Rae smiled back.

"Well, let's get packing! We have to leave today if we wanna make it there in time!" Tommy said, clapping his hands together.

"Yeah, and I get to sit in the front!" Timmy said.

Stevie Rae and Chris couldn't help but laugh as the two started arguing again, even if they were working together to get all the packing down in record time. "So," Chris said, gathering up the thousands of sheets of music, "how was your trip to town today?"

"It was alright," Stevie Rae said, watching him stuff the papers into a folder. "I got a new book."

"It's not new when you've read it a hundred times already," Chris teased.

"How did you know I've read it before?" Stevie Rae asked.

"You've read every book in that library," Chris said, shaking his head and laughing.

"Well, it's not like there's much else to do around here," Stevie Rae said. "Chris, do you think I'm…odd?"

"Odd? You? You're the most normal person in this family," Chris said. "Why are you askin'?"

Stevie Rae sighed. "Oh, I don't know. There's just…no one I can really talk to around here, except for you guys."

Chris smiled and put a hand on her shoulder. "Stevie Rae, this town is small. And it's old. And the people here are just stuck in their old, small ways. They don't like new ideas or people. And, we're new people with new ideas." Chris sighed and brushed his hair out of his face with his other hand. "What I'm trying to say is they don't like people different from them. They want you to be like them too, but you won't let them make you into something you're not. I've always loved that about you. Don't you worry 'bout them too much, sis. They ain't worth it. Besides, this is gonna be the start of a whole new life for us. I can feel it."

Stevie Rae smiled, giving her big brother a huge bear hug. "Thanks," she whispered.

"Anytime," he whispered back.

"C'mon, Chris!" Timmy called down from the yard.

"Let's go!" Tommy said.

Chris grabbed his music folder and was about to leave when Stevie Rae stopped him.

"Take this," she said, handing him the locket. "For good luck."

He smiled and winked, and Stevie Rae winked back. She wasn't really sure what it meant; she just knew that she'd been doing that with him for as long as she could remember. It was just their special way of saying that they were okay and everything was going to work out just fine, or at least that's what it meant in this particular situation.

They hurried up to the lawn, not wanting to keep them waiting for too long. Chris climbed into the driver's seat of their cart, and Tommy and Timmy swooped Stevie Rae up in a huge hug that took her a couple feet off the ground.

"See ya, sis," they said at the same time, then looked at each other like the other had two heads.

Thankfully, they were in too good a mood to start fighting over who said it first, and Timmy jumped into the back while Tommy took a seat beside Chris.

"Bye, guys! Good luck!" Stevie Rae called after them.

"Bye, Stevie Rae! Take care while we're gone!" Chris yelled back as the cart, led by their old draft horse, started off down the dirt road.

Stevie Rae stood waving after them until they disappeared into the horizon.

* * *

"We should be there by now," Chris said, double checking the map that Tommy held up for him.

"Where are we?" Timmy asked groggily from the back, just now waking up from the nap he had taken. He sat up, stretched, yawned, and looked around him, not recognizing anything he saw.

"Maybe we missed a turn?" Tommy offered.

"We should go…" Chris's voice trailed off as he looked towards the five street signs on a post, but all of them were worn down and faded to the point where they couldn't be read.

"Let's go this way," Timmy said, pointing to the right.

"No, that way," Tommy said, pointing to the left.

Chris sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, bracing himself for (yet another) headache.

"Look, would you rather go down the dark and foggy path of doom or the lighter path that won't take us to our deaths?" Timmy asked.

"The map says it's this way."

"Are ya sure?" Timmy asked.

"Of course. It's a shortcut. C'mon!" Tommy insisted. Chris steered the cart to the left. "We'll be there in no time," Tommy added.

"I hope your right," Chris said as they continued farther down the path.

The howling of wolves urged Tommy to look at the map again. "This can't be right!" he exclaimed. "Where have you taken us, Timmy?"

"You're the one who wanted to come down this road in the first place! I wanted to go the _other_ way, remember?" Timmy defended.

"I remember no such thing," Tommy said stubbornly.

"Shush," Chris said. "Do you hear that?"

"Hear what?" Timmy asked.

Tommy's eyes got so huge and round that they looked like strange saucers shoved into his face.

"What is it?" Timmy asked his twin.

"Wolves," Tommy whispered. "Right. There."

His brothers' eyes widened too. Chris looked around, and he could see that their horse had seen the wolves too by the way he stood on high alert. "Okay, I'm gonna try to turn us around real slo—"

"Holy shit!" Tommy screamed.

Chris could see only a blur of mangy grey as what he assumed to be the wolf launched himself at their old horse. The wolf missed them by a hair, but the damage was done. Completely and utterly spooked, their horse reared up, whinnying like bloody murder. There was nothing Chris could do to calm the horse down now, and the twins knew it.

"Jump!" Tommy cried, and he and Chris rolled out opposite sides.

"Abandon ship!" Timmy shouted as he hurled himself from the back of the cart.

Their horse took off, and the wolves seemed to all follow suit. Or so they thought, until they heard the snarling from a little ways away.

"Run?" Tommy asked in a whisper.

"Like hell?" Timmy added, also whispering.

"Yeah," Chris breathed. "Run like hell."

The three boys took off, not knowing or caring where they were going, so long as their feet took them away from the wolf pack. Unfortunately for them, it was dark, and they were unfamiliar with the terrain. Chris skidded to a stop when he realized that the hill's side was too steep to run straight down, and Tommy managed to stop beside him. However, when Timmy saw them and tried to stop, he instead tripped on a tree root and crashed into his brothers, sending them all down, down, down.

"Nice goin', moron," Tommy said from the bottom of the heap of boys at the base of the hill.

However, the wolves were not bothered by the steepness of the hill, and came running down at full speed.

"Crap crap crap!" Chris hissed as they scrambled to their feet.

"There! Over there!" Timmy shouted, pointing at these huge metal gates that sealed an insanely high stone wall. Sprinting over to what might be their savior, the brothers started pulling on the gates, shouting, but they seemed to be locked. That is, until Tommy pushed Timmy into the gates, and it swung wide open.

They hardly glanced at each other or had time to revel in their stroke of luck before the pack was upon them. Scrambling inside the safety of the gates, Chris shoved them closed just as the pack leapt for them. They snarled and bite and clawed at the gates, but they could not reach the boys inside.

Tommy looked at Timmy; Timmy looked at Chris, and Chris looked at Tommy. Then they all broke out into relieved laughter, not even caring that the skies had opened up and that they were all now soaking wet.

Finally, they turned around to see if there was someplace they could take shelter from the storm, but what they saw was enough to make them want to risk running home even with the wolves. The castle before them was so overwhelmingly huge that the country boys immediately felt like a fish out of water. They couldn't help but think, deep down inside, that something horrible had happened here, and that something horrible would happen here again.

* * *

**A/N**

**Happy New Year! Start 2013 off on a good note and review! Please?**

**~Smiley**


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